Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run

22-year-old motorist taken into custody.

A 54-year-old bicyclist was killed early Saturday in a hit-and-run crash near Penn High School.

Police say Timothy Grant, of Mishawaka, was wearing a helmet and had a red flashing light on his bike as he apparently rode to work.

Brandon Gonzalez, the 22-year-old suspect from Mishawaka, was booked into the St. Joseph County Jail on several preliminary charges, including causing a death while operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, both felonies.

The crash occurred around 5:30 a.m. on Jefferson Boulevard, near Buckeye Road in Mishawaka.

Sgt. Matt Blank from the St. Joseph County Police Department says alcohol and speed are both believed to been factors in the crash.

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According to police, Grant was riding his bicycle east on Jefferson when he was struck by the suspect's vehicle, which was coming from the west.

Witnesses said the Dodge Charger sped north on Buckeye after hitting the bicyclist, hit a car, and then did a U-turn and spun out in several yards heading south on Buckeye toward Jefferson.

Witnesses told police the driver then took a right going west past Capital Avenue, eventually crashing into the curb outside his home in the 2000-block of Jefferson where he ran inside.

Bicycle Indiana put out a report in May of last year that analyzed bicycle collisions in the state in 2010.

Among other things, it found that while collisions between bikers and motorists happen more often in urban areas, the collisions result in serious injury more often in suburban or rural areas.

An Elkhart County man, Daniel Yoder, died Thursday after a car collided with his bicycle.

Prior to Saturday's incident, the most recent fatal collision between a vehicle and a bicycle in St. Joseph County occurred in February 2012 when Steven Carey, 62, South Bend, was struck and killed while bicycling on Indiana 23, just south of the Indiana Toll Road overpass.

Judy Lee, president of the Bike Michiana Coalition, said the rules of the road for bicyclists are the same as for drivers.

"Riding on the right, being visible and being predictable," she said. "Stay on the shoulder or in a bike lane. If you're going to make a left turn, make sure you make eye contact with the (oncoming) driver. And know that cars are faster and bigger than you."

Lee also advised bicyclists to always wear helmets and to limit night riding, if possible. If you must ride at night, be sure you have a light on the front of your bike, she said.

"Bicycling can be a dangerous sport," Lee said, "but it also can be a very enjoyable sport," as well as a viable method of transportation.

Of Saturday's fatal crash in Mishawaka, she said, "It's just devastating to hear this because it's senseless."